In the Middle
by Terra Fira
Summary: When Zuko ascends the throne, everyone thought their lives would be all right - not the mess they are all involved.


A/N: I don't own these characters which you probably already know.

I first wrote this back in 2008 -and I've recently revised and edited a just little bit- so probably this has little to nothing to do with the comics. I guess this falls into AR or AU category, whichever you prefer :)

In the Middle

Chapter 1: The new morning sun

Zuko groaned as he felt something sting his eyes. He felt oddly comfortable, a feeling he had not experienced in a while, as he had got used to sleeping on a hard, cold stone floor at the Western Air Temple. Somehow, subconsciously he knew he had some very important plans for the day, but right now he didn't feel like he was ready to face the new day. He wanted to make the time stop right there and just lie there. He had successfully managed to go through the night without any of the nightmares that had haunted him for so long, but now his peaceful slumber was disturbed by a bright and warm light. He scowled, making sure to keep his eyes tightly shut, and rolled over to the cooler side of his luxurious bed in an attempt to drift back into a gentle sleep. His plan turned out to be just an attempt as pain sharply cut through his chest. He grunted loudly, sitting up and clutching his bare chest. A feisty-looking crimson scar was the cause of such pain, aching in rhythm with his pulse.

Zuko bit his teeth as he examined that nasty mark. He knew what it was. It was the aftermath of the showdown between a brother and a sister, a prince and a princess. Something that was always meant to happen, as well as the confrontation between the Avatar and the Fire Lord. Zuko closed his eyes, memories flowing in his mind, flashback after another.

Azula had shot him with a sizzling bolt of blue lightning. He had not been her target; in fact his sister had tried to kill his friend, Katara the waterbender. Of course, the mad princess would have been more than glad if she would have killed her brother along the way just like that, but fortunately Katara's healing abilities had saved the prince's life. With her powerful bending skills and clever mind, the waterbending girl had also brought down Azula, who had slipped and lost her mind. Zuko was sure she had been going down that path for a while. Ever since her closest friends - the allies who she had trusted the most next to their father - had betrayed her in order to save her brother, who she seemed to loathe so much.

 _It must have been the trigger that pushed her over the limits_ , Zuko reasoned. His sister had always been a perfectionist, pushing herself to be a master, never letting anyone surpass her. She had been the lucky one, the prodigy praised by everyone everywhere. Everyone but their mother, who according to Azula, favored and loved Zuko more, never Azula. The younger sibling even claimed that she was a monster in her mother's eyes.

Zuko could not bring himself to believe any of that. After all, Azula always lied. Their mother had always been the kind who showed love to everyone; she wouldn't think like that of her own child. Then again, his father had told him she had committed treason, and was banished for that. So, he guessed he did not know his mother after all.

The prince sighed and sunk back into his bed. The memories of his mother were happy ones. He remembered the beautiful princess, whose elegant long hair was always set nicely. The gentle tone of her voice, the soft touch of her skin, and the delicate smell of her perfume. His mother, who had always tucked them in and kissed them good night. His mother, who had loved to read sentimental poetry and cheap romances the travelling merchants would sell, which his father used to banter her about. His mother, who had loved to accompany his uncle with long conversations while watching the children play. All of the memories of his mother were so kind, and yet, she became an exile due to her actions under suspicious circumstances. The very thought was just way too absurd for the young man. The incidence seemed too unreal to be true; it could have happened in a book that his mother had been reading while sitting in the garden.

Zuko wondered where his mother was at the moment. For five long years, the boy had believed he had lost her for good; that she had died on that night, just like his grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon. On the day of black sun, his father had revealed to him that she might still be alive along with other facts about that night. His father had, probably on full purpose, rekindled a new hope in the young firebender's heart. She had not died back then, and there was a chance he might find her someday.

Zuko growled in frustration. He had no idea where to begin. His mother could be anywhere. He rolled over to his other side, ignoring the stinging pain on his chest. The scarred young man stared at the sun that crawled higher to the creamy colored sky.

 _Father might know_ , he pondered, pursing his lower lip. _But I can't face him. Not yet._

Only a day before, his father had been the most powerful ruler in the world. Zuko had always looked up to that man, wanting nothing more than his love and acceptance. For some reason, the young prince's effort always backfired and made his father even more distant, causing the young boy to try even harder. Unlike his sister, the firstborn had never been a prodigy. In fact, he had never been particularly good at anything, which was the reason he had been a failure in his father's eyes. After his mother disappearance, the teenager had truly worked on becoming the son his father had always wanted. He trained with fierce, kept his head high and cherished his honor.

 _Well, Prince Zuko, I see you have been growing fast lately. You are just like Ozai at that age,_ uncle Iroh had remarked, making his nephew shine with pride, never noticing the worry under the old man's tone _. You certainly are a spitting image of your father._

On those days, the prince had been full of joy and pride whenever he received such comment. They seemed to be so far away now, like the years between had lasted an eternity. Zuko touched the rough scar on the left side of his face. That scar was the symbol of his own banishment, the remembrance of his father disowning him.

That faithful Agni Kai, which had changed the Fire Prince's life forever and made his life go downhill. He had been supposed to duel a master, to doom the Fire Lord, to defeat his own father. The teen had known he could not, even if he had tried. When he had refused – begged for forgiveness on his knees – the Lord branded him with a scar and banishment. Even after that, Zuko worked ten times harder to earn his place in the Fire Lord's eyes, for he could not bring himself to hate his own father.

The Fire Lord, the emperor of the West, feared and respected by his people. His father had been a powerful and skilled firebending master, who bent lightning with ease. That was until the day before, when the Avatar had taken away his father's ability to bend and ended the one hundred years of war. Now the former Fire Lord was imprisoned, and it was the new beginning to the world, and most of all, to Zuko himself. He would be starting a completely new chapter in his life.

Zuko tore his eyes from the rising sun, and turned his gaze to the gorgeously patterned ceiling of his bed chamber. The prince could hear birds singing their own hymn just outside the royal chamber, and he found the noise strangely enjoyable. A warm wind blew inside from the open windows, gently stroking his face as if to assure him the dream was over and everything was real.

The prince sighed deeply. They were a happy family once. Now their family was a mess, torn apart and screwed. They all were alone. Except, Zuko realized, he had never been truly alone. He had had his mother, his sister, and his father. And uncle.

Uncle Iroh had stood his ground through the hard times, giving him advices, comforting him, and teaching him. Uncle had never truly left him, even after Zuko betrayed him for utterly selfish reasons. The moment of apologizing and forgiveness had been full of emotions he had never felt in his life before; he had found his place in the world, where he would go and where he belonged. He knew everything would turn out alright if he had his uncle's support. The young prince felt deep commiseration towards his sister, who had no one by her side now, guiding her to the right direction. Zuko knew he would not be the man he is now if uncle had given up on him.

The unlucky prince could not believe _he_ was the one who had overcome all of those adversities after many years of struggle. He could not have managed to do that without the help of his new friends, who were also his former archenemies.

How many times had he tried to capture the Avatar? He could not recall anymore. But he had been more than ready to play dirty if he had to, do anything to seize the master of all elements. Some people had even said that the Avatar ceased to exist, remaining only as a myth. But the banished prince had refused to give up, clinging on to the very last straw of hope.

Zuko scowled at those reminiscences. No matter how much he had hurt them, in the end, the Avatar had accepted him joining the team. Of course, at first he had had a rough time with them, as they all doubted his true motives and aims. He could never blame them for that. When he had accompanied Sokka to the Boiling Rock, a suicide mission to rescue his girlfriend, he finally had proven himself in their eyes. But by doing that, he had to betray another person that he held dear.

Zuko's brief relationship with Mai had relapsed badly when he had decided to join the Avatar. He had not seen Mai after the Boiling Rock incident and he wondered if they could ever work out anymore, now that the bond between them had become so inflamed.

 _Trust take years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair_ , the prince acknowledged from a personal experience. He had hurt Mai deeply, breaking her trust and practically shoving her to Azula's hands. Like their father, Azula had never been a forgiving person.

Azula's desperate screams still echoed in his ears, not letting him any peace of mind. Zuko crawled out of the bed and took Mai's letter from the table. Ty Lee had given it to him last night, with a rather apologizing smile, reaching out a hand towards him but letting it drop. It certainly had not been a good sign. The firebender's heart had raced like a trapped cavehopper when he tore the piece of parchment open. The letter was abrupt and to the point, just like its writer herself. Mai's sharp and narrow handwriting let him know that she was going to join Ty Lee and help Azula to recover from the mental breakdown. She wished him luck for the future, the end. She did not explain what had caused her decision, then again, Mai usually never revealed her true intentions. Her mind was like a chest: tightly shut and unreachable to those who did not have a key to it.

Zuko turned the letter over and over and upside down in his hands, but it did not give him any answers on their future; how their relationship was going to be from now on. He supposed he already knew. The young man felt a burning anger rising from his stomach. With a sharp movement he crushed the letter and threw it to the other side of the vast chamber. If Mai did not need him, he surely as hell did not need her. Since the gloomy girl had chosen the mad princess over him, then so be it. He would be better on his own. Mai could sulk at him for the rest of her life for all he cared.

Infuriated by his own thoughts, he threw a silky robe over his broad shoulders, feeling like he needed to get out of that room before he would choke on his own rage.

The royal palace was oddly quiet. Zuko strolled along the sunlit corridors, past rooms and passageways he recognized very well, and headed towards the training arenas. He had not seen anyone, not even a servant, he remarked and pinched the pale skin on his forearm. Yup, he was definitely awake.

The prince had no idea what day it was, what time it was, or how long had he slept. Maybe a day, probably a week. Usually he did not mind being alone, but now he could hear his heartbeat ringing in his ears. Hastening his pacing, the young firebender towards the arenas before panic could reach his mind.

A flow of relief rushed through him as he saw a familiar back facing at him on the other side of an extensive arena. It belonged to the one who had saved his life, Katara. The prince stopped in his tracks and watched the young waterbender perform her morning practice. She had spread scrolls of advanced waterbending around her, occasionally glancing at them. Her movements were smooth, like water itself, moving in continual flow. Her motions reminded him of the dancers performing at the Ember Island theater his mother had used to take their family.

Zuko realized he had just stared at his friend like a retard, and coughed politely to draw her attention.

"Good morning, Zuko," Katara breathed as she recognized her company, a slight blush growing on her cheeks as she realized he had been watching her. Her eyes followed the taller young man as he stepped towards her, leaving a few feet between them. "Did you sleep well?"

"Morning," the prince greeted, glancing something at the floor. "Where are the others?"

"Probably still sleeping," the blue-eyed girl replied, twisting a curl of hair around her slender index finger. "Aang should be here any minute."

"That's great," Zuko replied, now truly feeling like an idiot. He wanted to punch himself, but scratched the back of his head instead.

An awkward silence fell over them, which was utterly ridiculous as they had grown closer than ever during the past few days. Maybe that was the reason the air between them was so tense. Their friendship had grown into a strong bond but… Katara was the Avatar's girl and Zuko, well, he was supposedly with Mai. They had saved one another's life the day before, there was no reason for such uneasy climate.

"So… do you have any news from Mai?" the waterbender asked in a wary tone. She felt the urge to slap herself for bringing up the topic: she knew very well the two were going through a crisis, and there she was, twisting the knife in his back.

The firebender glanced the other way, avoiding the deep blue eyes, "Yeah, Ty Lee gave me a letter from her."

Katara arched her eyebrow. Mai was the type who acted directly themselves, not using mediators. That did not sit well with her, "What did it say?"

"She will help Azula to recover," Zuko shrugged as if to shake the topic off his shoulders.

"Oh…," she fell silent. She couldn't find the words to say; Zuko had gone through so much already. Needless to say, she had not been in the same situation like he was at the moment, so who was she to give advices anyway? Maybe he did not even want any, so she decided to just listen to whatever the older boy had to say.

"It's okay. I think it's for the best," the golden-eyed boy replied. Katara glanced at him with a puzzled expression on her round face. "Azula needs her more than me."

The blue-eyed girl nodded solemnly, "Right."

Zuko looked back at her, then grinned and burst out laughing.

"What?!" Katara exclaimed, the pink on her cheek deepening into crimson spots.

The prince wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye, "It's just… I'm the one who should be sulking over things…and usually it's you who cheers others when they're down," he grinned. "And now… you're being overly serious about my issues, and _I_ should cheer _you_ up."

"As if," she playfully punched his chest, making him yelp in pain. She immediately realized what she had done. "I'm sorry! Zuko, are you alright?"

He shook his head, raising his hands in protestation, "I'm fine, really."

"Let me look," the brown-haired girl insisted, tugging open the crimson robe and revealing the fresh scar. Zuko let his arms fall to his sides as he glared up to the sky, the color on his pale cheeks growing scarlet. He merely prayed for heavens no one would walk in on them now.

Katara sighed in relief mentally; even though the scar was still inflamed, it did not bleed. After all, Zuko had received it by saving her life, and she could not bear the thought she would have hurt him even more, even by accident.

"Good morning, Katara! I'm here!" an all-too-familiar voice called the waterbender. Aang hurried towards his beloved friend, his feet light as the air itself, grinning as widely as ever. The Avatar almost stopped right on his tracks when he saw the two benders standing all too close to each other. "Oh, Zuko…morning."

"Uh, morning, Aang," the prince greeted his friend, and crossed his arms over the scarred chest. Great, of course Aang had to burst in right then and there. Needless to say, the firebender acknowledged his infamous luck, for it had chased him ever since he was born. The gods must have been laughing at him at the moment.

The Avatar gave both of them a rather doubtful glance before inquired, "Umm, what are you guys doing?"

"Nothing!" Katara replied, sounding just a tad bit too high-pitched. "I was just, you know, checking out his scar. You know, just to make sure it doesn't bleed anymore."

"Yeah," Zuko seconded her, hoping to get out of there as soon as possible. He certainly was not looking forward to antagonize a fully-realized Avatar and get himself destroyed after barely surviving from Azula's lightning strike. "I, um… I'm gonna get some breakfast. See ya!"

The Fire Prince quickly left the royal training arenas to avoid any possible misconceptions. He was well aware of the Avatar's feelings towards the waterbender girl - not to mention how big of a troublemaker he had been already, there was no way in hell he would have caused stigma between those two. Not on purpose, at least.

Although the prince had excused himself by telling his friends he would be heading for breakfast, Zuko strolled to the royal garden instead. The garden was bathing in the golden sunshine, which made it seem like it was still fast asleep. In the Fire Prince's childhood, the royal garden had always been a rather lively and noisy place. Now he could only hear the sounds of singing birds coming from somewhere far away. He inhaled deeply the summery air around him, letting it fill his lungs before exhaling sharply. This place held so many memories. It was very familiar, yet it was so strange at the same time.

Zuko walked over to the turtle duck pond. Only five years ago, the pond had been crowded by those creatures. Now merely a lonely turtle duck swam around the pool, quacking quietly to itself.

The prince sat down and let his gaze follow the creature. Zuko hesitated whether or not he should try and coax it to come to him. Then again, he did not have anything to give for the little animal, so he just let it be. Somehow, it reminded Zuko of himself. That was exactly how he had been. In fact, that was exactly how he still was. So very lost. He still had no clue what to do next. He had no clue what it was like to lead a whole nation. He had no clue what his country, his people, where expecting from him. Troubled and distressed, he ruffled his already messy hair. Despite the fact his father was a ruthless and domineering man, his reign had been very successful and advancing. What if he messed everything up, putting the royal family into shame forever? If uncle Iroh had been there, things would turn out alright. But the old man had expressed his intentions on having the tea shop in Ba Sing Se reopened. It would have been too selfish to deny it from the retired general. After all his uncle had done for him, he simply could not take away that dream, even if he had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart.

The young firebender laid back and watched up to the calm atmosphere. The sky that had burned in crimson color just the day before was now shining in a calm golden shade. Lazy clouds were drifting by him, reminding him of a dream he could not quite grasp. Everything seemed to be perfectly fine, so why was his heart so restless?

-8-8-8-8-8-

Next time: What about the rest of Team Avatar?


End file.
